Standard: 5.W.1d – Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
Grade level: Grade 5
Subject: English Language Arts
Domain: Writing
Teacher Overview
This standard focuses on helping students learn how to write effective conclusions for their opinion pieces. A strong conclusion reinforces the writer’s opinion and leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Mastering this skill is crucial as it enhances students’ overall writing abilities and prepares them for more advanced writing tasks. Before tackling this standard, students should be comfortable with forming opinions and supporting them with evidence and reasoning in their writing. They should also be familiar with the basic structure of an essay, including introductory and body paragraphs.
After mastering this standard, students will be able to write more complex compositions with well-structured conclusions, enhancing their overall writing proficiency and preparing them for future writing tasks that require clear and effective communication.
Common Misconception 1
A common misconception is that a conclusion is merely a summary of the essay. This is incorrect because a conclusion should also provide a final insight or a call to action that reinforces the writer’s opinion, rather than just repeating what has already been said.
Intervention 1
To address this misconception, provide examples of effective conclusions that go beyond summarizing and include a final insightful thought or call to action. Have students practice writing their own conclusions using these examples as models.
Common Misconception 2
Another misconception is that it is acceptable to introduce new information in the conclusion. This is incorrect because the conclusion should focus on wrapping up the argument and should only include information that has already been discussed in the essay.
Intervention 2
To remediate this, emphasize the importance of coherence and cohesion in writing. Provide exercises where students identify and revise conclusions that introduce new information, ensuring they understand that all new points should be discussed in the body of the essay.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should understand how to form and support an opinion, including the ability to write an introductory statement and body paragraphs that provide evidence and reasoning.
Subsequent Knowledge
After mastering this standard, students will develop skills in crafting more complex multi-paragraph compositions, including narratives and expository texts, with well-structured beginnings, middles, and ends.
Instructional Activities
- Practice writing concluding paragraphs for various opinion pieces.
- Analyze sample conclusions to identify effective elements.
- Peer review sessions focusing on the strength of concluding statements.
- Group activities where students collaboratively write and revise conclusions.
- Interactive writing prompts that guide students through the process of crafting a conclusion.
